Synonyms for skeptical
- adjective
- American English
Most common
Synonyms by meaning
Adjective
1. Incredulous
2. Doubting
Other
Definitions
- adj. 1
Having, or expressing doubt; questioning.
Tom was skeptical when Paul told him that he saw Bigfoot.
- adj. 2
Of or relating to philosophical skepticism or the skeptics.
Related words
- Word family
- skeptically
- Other spellings
- sceptical UK
Example sentences
- incredulous Tom gave Mary an incredulous look.
- doubting I started doubting the accuracy of his statement.
- distrustful I was distrustful of his motives.
- doubtful It's doubtful whether Tom will be able to do that.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| skeptical | rising | |
| incredulous | rising | |
| disbelieving | rising | |
| unbelieving | rising | |
| doubting | rising | |
| distrustful | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 8 letters
- doubtful2, doubting2
- 11 letters
- questioning3, incredulous4, distrustful3, unbelieving4
- 12 letters
- disbelieving4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (doubtful2 = 2 syllables).